Facebookers Can Cash Out, Sell Shares to Russians

Facebook employees, have you been eyeing your friends at Google with disdain and jealousy as they cash out their options to buy houses and cars and the like (at least the ones who joined the company early on)? Have no fear, now you, too, can cash out and retire afford a house in (East) Palo Alto. Russian investment house Digital Sky Technologies, which previously invested $200 million into the social networking giant, is in the process of making a tender offer for an additional $100 million in Facebook common stock, at $14.77 per share, according to the New York Times. That would value the company at $6.5 billion — or roughly what Oracle (s orcl) has agreed to pay for Sun Microsystems (s java).

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in a statement emailed to me, was quoted as saying:

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While individuals must make their own decisions about participating in this program, I’m pleased that the price DST is offering is much greater than the price originally considered last fall. This is recognition of Facebook’s growth and progress towards making the world more open and connected.

Not “in recognition of Facebook’s growth and progress towards making a profit”? Regardless, Facebook employees have been anxious to sell their shares for some time, so this should make them feel at least a bit better. If DST acquires the full $100 million in common shares, the company will own 3.5 percent of Facebook.